2012 tea report
DESCRIPTION
Canadians ike their tea hot and special,” says Louise Roberge, president of the Tea Association of Canada. “Our culture and background connects us to the English. But now we have new Canadians from all over the world. And for many cultures, tea is the most important beverage after water.TRANSCRIPT
Tea is trending
Tea in Canada is steeped with
culture. With such a diverse
population hailing from countries
worldwide, where teas are cultural
and ceremonious, the popularity
of specialty teas is growing.
By Noelle Stapinsky
"CanadiansN
EW!
Twinings’ Best-Tasting Flavours
Consumer flavour tests yielded high scores, above industry norms2
Strong RetailProductivity
Twinings is the fastest-growing national brand in herbal teas1
86% top-2 box purchase intent2
1 Nielsen MarketTrack, National, GB+MM+DR, 52 weeks ending June 2, 20122 Twinings proprietary packaging research, Canada 2011
High-ImpactPackaging
Total Market Twinings
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
+1%
+16%
Twinings Is Driving the Herbal Tea SegmentDollar Growth Versus Year Ago1
Discover the mouthwatering flavours ofTwinings® Herbal Teas
Western Canada: 1-888-894-6464Eastern Canada: 1-800-268-7480www.nationalimporters.com
Herbal is Happening…AgainWith the inclusion of fruits and spices to the herbal
line-up, new flavour profiles are winning over Canadian consumers.
“The herbal segment sales volume and share is now the largest it has ever been,” says Joyce O’Connor, brand manager at Tetley Hot Tea. “It has surpassed green tea within the last two years to become the largest segment in the specialty tea category.”
“Within herbal, Rooibos tea has been a popular drink in South Africa for generations and research shows it’s rich in antioxidants,” says O’Connor. “Rooibos is now one of the top herbal varieties in Canada.”
like their tea hot and special,” says louise Roberge, president of the tea association of Canada. “Our culture and background connects us to the english. But now we have new Canadians from all over the world. and for many cultures, tea is the most important beverage after water. tea imports have grown six per cent in the last year.”
“Herbal tea sales were flat until last year. there’s been a resurgence driven by the entry of new flavour profiles, line extensions and specialty herbal teas such as Rooibos entering the market,” says Ron Sadler, chairman of the tea association of Canada.
Canada’s imports from India are over 30 per cent higher than they were a year or two ago, which, Roberge points out, means that people are drinking more Darjeeling and Chai teas.
Indeed, much like wine aficionados who enjoy the nuances and terroir of a fine wine, Canadian tea drinkers are becoming more sophisticated and adventurous. and now with the introduction of single serve teas, developed for the ultra fast, single cup brewing machines by tassimo and Keurig, overall tea consumption is growing.
"Canadians
totAL tEA conSuMptIon $ voL $ voL % chG $ Shr $ Shr % chG
nAtIonAL ALL chAnnEL 415,120,812 1% 100.0 0.0
MARITIMES ALL CHANNEL 23,570,921 -2% 5.7 -0.2
QUEBEC ALL CHANNEL 65,530,050 1% 15.8 0.0
ONTARIO ALL CHANNEL 169,192,218 1% 40.8 0.1
TL WEST ALL CHANNEL 156,827,314 1% 37.8 0.1
Man+Sask All Channel 35,184,176 4% 8.5 0.3
Alberta All Channel 61,876,783 3% 14.9 0.3
B.C. All Channel 59,766,712 -2% 14.4 -0.5
totAL tEA BAGS 211,772,250 1% 51.0 -0.2
TOTAL REGULAR TEA BAGS 87,791,588 -2% 21.1 -0.8
TOTAL SPECIALTY TEA BAGS 123,980,662 3% 29.9 0.5
Total specialty flavoured tea bags 35,755,385 11% 8.6 0.8
Total specialty green tea bags 40,213,494 -5% 9.7 -0.6
Total specialty herbal tea bags 47,107,576 3% 11.3 0.2
Nielsen Company, MarketTrack, National all channels, 52 weeks ending, June 2, 2012
Louise Roberge, President, Tea Association of Canada
tea totals
NEW
!
Twinings’ Best-Tasting Flavours
Consumer flavour tests yielded high scores, above industry norms2
Strong RetailProductivity
Twinings is the fastest-growing national brand in herbal teas1
86% top-2 box purchase intent2
1 Nielsen MarketTrack, National, GB+MM+DR, 52 weeks ending June 2, 20122 Twinings proprietary packaging research, Canada 2011
High-ImpactPackaging
Total Market Twinings
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
+1%
+16%
Twinings Is Driving the Herbal Tea SegmentDollar Growth Versus Year Ago1
Discover the mouthwatering flavours ofTwinings® Herbal Teas
Western Canada: 1-888-894-6464Eastern Canada: 1-800-268-7480www.nationalimporters.com
31July | August 2012
Hot Health Trends“The advantage tea has over water is that it does have natural plant-based compounds that are not only comprised of taste, but health protective affects for such things as heart disease and cancer,” says Dr. Carol Greenwood of the depart-ment of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. “It’s the polyphenol compounds found in tea that people are interested in.”
Besides being a zero-calorie beverage option, Dr. Greenwood points out that because Canadians have such low fruit and vegetable intakes, tea can help them increase their exposure to plant-based compounds.
W ith the growing popularity of single-serve hot beverage brewing
machines – a la Tassimo and keurig – single-serve teas are blazing a new trail for tea and increasing overall consumption.
According to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) in Canada, more and more Canadians have single-serve brewers on their countertops, and the company predicts that this trend will increase in the coming years.
“The single serve teas have energized the tea category and brought in incremental volume as some consumers are buying the brewers for the convenience of making
great coffee, and then expanding their consumption to tea and other beverages,” says Mathieu Gadbois, director of trade marketing for GMCR. “once a customer has bought a specific brewer technology, he or she will be looking for other products offered for that particular system.”
TEACHING THE ART OF TEAMuch like the art of tasting a fine wine and understanding grape varietals and geographic nuances, tea sommeliers have fine-tuned palates that identify many of the same attributes.
For industry professionals looking to increase their tea knowledge, the Tea Association of Canada is currently offering a Tea Sommelier course at various colleges and institutions across Canada.
The course takes about 150 hours and is divided into eight sessions. Once these are completed, the student is eligible to sit for the Tea Sommelier TM, examination, which is certified by the Tea Association of Canada.
Paul Higgins III, territory sales manager and tea specialist at Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc., participated in the program and is now a certified Tea Sommelier.
“I enrolled in the program because part of my roll at Mother Parkers is to develop our tea business by educating the sales force,” says Higgins. “With the knowledge I gained from this course, my appreciation for tea has increased greatly. I am now a more well-rounded and confident cupper.”
The program explores tea types, regions, production, sustainability, preparation and health attributes.
“For me, the highlight of this program had to be the different cupping sessions and presentations we did almost every day,” says Higgins. “These two parts of the course really allowed you to experience the nuances of tea and develop a palette that you never thought you could have.”
Health
total tea single serve (latest 12 weeks)
SALES: $3,870,034
% $ GRoWTH (vS. 2011): 139%
$ SHARe (oN ToTAl TeA): 7.5% Source: Holding GMCR Canada Inc.
SMAll BUT MIGHTY
Tea Takes Centre IceThe experience for The Tea Emporium owner, Shabnam Weber, has been fantastic since the company opened an in-store tea counter in Loblaws’ flagship urban concept in Toronto’s historic Maple Leaf Gardens late last year.
“We’re finding that the Loblaws customer curiosity to try new teas is equal to any of our stand-alone locations.
“What I find most revolutionary about what Loblaws has done at this location, is that they took something that already existed – tea – and added another SKU, the tea expert,” says Weber. This provides the customer with an indispensable added value.”
Polyphenols act as an antioxidant that protects body chemicals and cells from damage caused by free radicals. they can also block the action of enzymes that cancers need to grow.
For more information on how to reach Canadian grocery retailers, please contact: Dan Bordun [email protected] 416-817-5278
Canada’s Grocery Magazine A Better ReachA Better ReadA Better Value
www.grocerybusinessmedia.ca33July | August 2012